WHEN I went to SOLA (School Of Leadership Afghanistan) there were people from different ethnic communities and faiths. There were Pashtun, Hazara, Tajik and Turkman. As a newcomer in this environment, I was a little bit worried and sometimes thought of imaginary scenarios: we would fight over something, or they would behave badly towards me. I was thinking of different ways to tackle [solve] the problem before I got there. But the lesson I learned was very interesting! In just a few days, I found the real picture of life much better than I was thinking it would be! The girls had the same feelings as I did, and we could easily find more similarities than differences. And I later found out that they had the same worries about me as I had about them!

It was at SOLA that I started seriously thinking about the roots of such negative behavior. I came to understand that the main reason behind these imaginary scenarios is people’s past and their memories of the past. Likewise, most of these people do not know much about each other. The people have had little chance to come together and have interactions with each other. As a result, they don't know that they might have similar thoughts and similar wishes.

At SOLA some of my teachers are not Muslim. They are from other countries. But we do not feel any negative sentiment against them and have no problems working together. For me, living in a world with no diversity doesn’t make any sense. I feel proud to live in a country with different people who have different opinions and different wishes.

And where there is hatred, it is always against Love. Bad thoughts are against Good thoughts. Wise decisions are against crazy decisions. Good and bad never can be together. Thus, for having one of them we have to lose the other. So how good it will be if we choose the best one.

I think my country can overcome its problems which is at the root of its agonies [extreme suffering]. At least, I feel myself responsible to change my country and make it a better place to live. Thanks to my school, my teachers, the subjects and books I study, I feel that I will be able to do something and fulfill my dreams. I love my country and my world, with all its diversities. This is the meaning of my life.